WASHINGTON — His domestic priorities stalled in a divided Congress, President Barack Obama is looking for allies among America's governors.

The president plans to meet Monday with governors of both parties at the White House, after a Sunday dinner in which he told state leaders their cooperation "is vital to make sure we're doing right by the American people."

"I look forward to working with each of you, not just in our meetings tomorrow, but throughout this year — what I hope to be a year of action," Obama said at a black-tie dinner with dozens of leaders who were in town for a meeting of the National Governors Association.

"When we've got a Congress that sometimes seems to have a difficult time acting, I want to make sure that I have the opportunity to partner with each of you in any way I can," the president said.

It's unclear whether some Republican governors are willing to collaborate with the Democratic president ahead of the November midterm elections.

He's going to the governors because he refuses to reach out in a bipartisan way to Congress. Working with Congress does not consist of saying "I want to work with you on this problem, and I want it done my way or else."

The best way the government can help the economy is to stay the hell out of it. A Milton Friedman favorite: "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand."